Notify Bank Before a Trip

You might be able to dodge a major headache if you let your bank and credit-card issuer know before you head out of town.

Why? Because when charges or ATM withdrawals start popping up on your account from places such as Istanbul or Shanghai, or even another U.S. city, the issuer may suspect that your account information or card was stolen and temporarily suspend the account until it hears from you. If your account is frozen, you might...